I WAS pottering around the kitchen on Thursday morning, beating egg whites for a tiramisu, when a woman came on the radio and started lecturing me about having fun. With the latter came friction over Michael’s refusal to provide his stubbly stare for an album cover; now, under his new contract, he is back on [...]

Labour will no doubt hammer the parlous state of the NHS and education during the election, but why not tell the truth about the cost? This is not naivety, but expedience. With Labour likely to enter the lists in a far stronger position, that tiny margin is highly unlikely to matter.So Labour risks tying its [...]

In June, it was the Versace book launch; in July, he was thinking about a cliff-top house near Dublin; in August, he bought a cliff-top house in St Tropez and called it, after one of his nicknames, Chez Nobby.When he came to give this celebrity some new musical substance, it was deftly done: first, he [...]

The formula is based on the difference between the eventual sale price and the original purchase price, increased by inflation over the period. Only interest on the original mortgage to buy the property is deductible against rental income. No further loan, for home improvements, for example will qualify. Owners who have let out their homes [...]

Once the facilities are built, they have to be run and that costs money, too. The worst thing to happen would be a repeat of the 1960s when we over-invested in inappropriate state housing, which now is having to be replaced. It is very easy to waste money on grand projects that cost too much [...]

Last week saw Legal & General in effect halve the price of its UK Index Tracking PEP. The only charge investors face now is 0.5 per cent of the value of their PEP a year. Moderate drinking allowed.Source: ‘Planned Savings’ magazine. I’VE YET to make it to the January sales. Cotinine test.Zurich Life Up to [...]